EXTRA CREDIT

Remembering Raul Hilberg
Professor emeritus of political science
June 2, 1926 – August 4, 2007

Raul Hilberg was a legend among scholars and a cherished teacher and mentor to generations of students. Among the many, worldwide tributes following his death, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum established the Raul Hilberg Fellowship, intended to support the development of new generations of Holocaust scholars.

“Raul Hilberg was my colleague and friend for close to forty years. He was pre-eminent among historians of the Holocaust. An extraordinary scholar, teacher, and person, you could hear the voice of history when he spoke.”
Richard Sugarman, professor of religion, UVM

“Hilberg was more than brilliant; he was strong. Intellectual integrity was effortless and natural in him; it was as if he was simply incapable of sloppiness or shortcuts, much less dishonesty. Well into his seventies, he carried himself and spoke like someone half his age, telling stories more as if he were in a bar than in a rocking chair. He was himself, and unashamed, even when he told us, with not a trace of defensiveness, that he had always voted Republican. And it seemed that he could not say anything unclear, uninteresting, or disorganized. Nor did he live in his own little sphere of excellence.”
Michael Neumann, Counterpunch

“Hilberg's classes were extremely challenging, but I and my fellow classmates hung on every word he said. With him, we explored the whole reason for the existence of government. … He taught us to piece together the reasons why government fails and to look for the warning signs.”
Vermont Rep. Carolyn Branagan ’76, G’84

“Whatever else The Destruction of the European Jews is—as a work of political science, as a work of social history—it is at heart a Jewish lamentation, all the more powerful because not a word of grief escapes from its 1,000 pages … and yet between every line there is the grief … of a Jew mourning for his people. It is that grief that drove the author to write those 1,000 riveting pages.”
Herman Wouk, novelist, in Perspectives on the Holocaust, Essays in Honor of Raul Hilberg

“To obtain a ‘B’ or better in a Hilberg course was both a personal affirmation and a recognition of excellence among your peers and other profs. Although he appeared to be austere, and didn’t suffer fools easily, he had close and happy relationships with many colleagues. Moreover, he was always accessible to students who sought his counsel. He had a profound influence on me and many other students, and, quite frankly, was revered by us.”      
Jerold Jacobson ’62

“Over the years, conversations with Raul—sometimes lasting thirty minutes, and sometimes lasting three hours – always left me with clearer vision and a clearer sense of purpose.  He always offered an encyclopedic knowledge of the facts, always had a talent for asking the right, if unexpected, questions, and always pushed one to challenge both minor points of historical detail and broader theses. The transparency of his speech and prose—always compelling and at times disarming—made it clear that this was a master of analysis and interpretation.”
Jonathan Huener, associate professor of history, UVM